The Beginning of The Hawk
by weemcg33
Summary: This is my take on how Phil and Clint meet. Clint is just a teenager and after being betrayed by his brother realizes he truly is alone. Will Phil be able to show the young archer that he isn't. Rated T for safety for some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**The Beginning of The Hawk**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters….unless you count action figures or DVD's or my posters. LOL!

I can dream though…

Authors Note: This will be my second story I've posted…..more to come. Enjoy!

The blackness pulled him into it's shadowy depths. He struggled against it but to no avail, it swallowed him whole.

It seemed like an eternity before he was fighting back again. The darkness still threatening to consume him but this time he could see a light in the distance, so he fought with all he had. It slowly got brighter, he could almost touch it. Then as before the shadows moved in and surrounded him, suffocating him and pulled him back again.

He lay in the darkness. He was fed up fighting to reach the glowing light to have snatched out of reach once again. So he lay still, he couldn't see anything anyway but he kept his eyes closed. It felt like there was something watching him in the shadows of his mind.

Then he heard voices. They were speaking in the distance, he couldn't make out what they were saying but they sounded distorted like he was under water.

"Ca….ou…ope….you…eye..?" He heard the garbled message but his aching head couldn't understand what was said.

Then there was a different voice. A man talking quietly in his ear.

"Your ok..kid. Try…t….open.. ." He made that one out a bit better. _Open my eyes,_ he thought. For some reason that sounded like a lot of work.

He tried anyway, he wanted to know where he was and what was happening. It took a few tries but soon enough his eyes sought out the blurry figure above him. At first he panicked, he didn't know who these people were or how he got here. The man with the soothing voice placed a hand on his shoulder keeping him in place but not applying any pressure, he was just making sure he didn't injure himself.

"Your ok, we've got you kid. You're safe here, alright?" The man walked round to the side of the bed. "Try not to move to much, you've got a few broken ribs and your not long out of surgery."

"Surgery?" He managed to croak out. He looked horrified for a second as he realised if that's how bad he sounded, what on earth did he look like. He glanced around the room he was in. It looked like a hospital but had a slightly more homey feel to it. There were drawers to the side and a small table with two chairs in the corner and his own bathroom just to the right of his bed. The lights had been turned down low so as not to hurt his eyes. He was grateful as his head felt like it was going to burst.

He looked at the man standing patiently beside the bed watching him with concern.

"Who…are ..you?" He asked and gave the man a grateful look when he gave him some ice chips to sooth his aching throat.

The man straightened and introduced himself. "My name is Phil, Phil Coulson. I work here as an agent for SHIELD. It's a government agency, not many people have heard of us."

The boy just nodded, trying to figure out why a government agency had him in their medical bay. He couldn't remember anything that would tell him why he was here in the first place.

Phil noticed the confused expression and decided to try and fill in some of the blanks the kid obviously had.

"What's your name kid?" He would start with an easy question.

The teenager regarded him silently for a moment and Phil didn't think he was going to answer.

"It's Clint. Clint Barton." Then he asked what he really wanted to know. "Why am I here?"

Phil gave Clint a sad smile and grabbed the nearest chair. He set it down beside the bed and sat down heavily and sighed. This was going to be hard.

"What do you remember Clint?" He asked.

Clint thought hard but nothing was coming back to him, just pain and darkness. He shook his head at the agent and Phil leaned back in the small chair.

He might as well dive right in, so he began with what he knew from SHIELDS intel.

"Your brother Barney and the man known as Swordsman had been drawing some attention to themselves. In recent months SHIELD has become involved. They had been caught selling weapons to the highest bidder, we were notified when one of the arms dealers we have been keeping tabs on got involved with them. When we followed them back to the circus we were surprised. Then we found out they had been stealing money from the circus to purchase the weapons. There isn't really much of a record for anyone that works there, especially yourself and Barney." Phil paused as Clint's hands clenched into fists every time he mentioned his brother and he knew why. Clint gave him a small nod to continue and relaxed his hands against the thin sheets covering him.

"We heard the argument between the three of you, you had found out they were stealing the money and you were going to report them. They tried to get you to join them, you told them to go to hell. We realised too late what they were going to do, we rushed in and found you, you'd been stabbed in the chest. They took off but I have people looking for them. We brought you back here as quickly as we could and our doctors fixed you up. You were really lucky though, you lost a lot of blood and we almost lost you on the table. But our doctors told us you were a fighter."

Clint was silent as he absorbed the information, he couldn't believe his own brother had done this to him, after everything they had been through.

He felt the anger build up inside him and clenched his fists so tight his nails were digging into his palms. Phil noticed the boy was shaking and went to put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him but the kid flinched away. Phil saw the tears falling and clenched his own fists. How could the kids own brother do this to him, the boy was only a teen and had already from what little they had found out about him, had lost his parents at a young age, been put into an orphanage then they had ran away. Now he knew they had ended up at a travelling circus where his brother had become a thief, a criminal and stabbed his own brother in the chest.

Phil was brought back from his thoughts when he heard the boy sobbing, he didn't even think twice, just pulled Clint gently to him careful of his injuries and held him as he let it all out. The pain, the fear and the betrayal.

Clint wiped away the last of the tears and pulled back from Phil. "Sorry." He mumbled and looked away, feeling embarrassed.

Phil just shook his head and turned the boys face towards him. "You have nothing to be sorry for Clint. Understood?"

The boy nodded but Phil could tell it would take a while for that to sink in. It seemed the teen never really had anyone looking out for him or loving him the way he should be loved.

Coulson knew he was going to have his work cut out for him. But he hoped in the end it would be worth it. The kid was special, he would just need to prove it to him.

"Get some rest Clint. We talk more later if you like?" Phil stood and moved the chair back to it's original position.

"What's going to happen to me Phil?" The agent barely made out what the kid said as he spoke so quietly.

Phil paused before turning back to him. "That's up to you kid, but we will talk about it later. Ok?" Phil patted his shoulder and headed for the door but stopped when Clint spoke again.

"Will you stay Phil? Just till I fall asleep?" He looked so small and vulnerable in the bed, like a small boy wanting protection from the monsters in the cupboard. But Phil knew this boy probably had some pretty real monsters lurking and didn't even have to think as he closed the door and walked back to the kids bedside, grabbing the chair on the way.

"I'll stay Clint, no one is going to hurt you again. Not on my watch." He squeezed the boys hand and pulled the cover up over his chest and settled back in the chair with a book from the bedside table. After a few minutes he heard the soft snores coming from the bed and smiled. He meant it when he said nothing would hurt this boy again, not while he had any say in the matter. The kid was now under SHIELD protection and god help Barney or Swordsman if Phil got his hands on them.

He knew the kid had skills, he had heard of the Amazing Hawkeye just never knew it was a young boy who never missed a target. But he knew he could help him hone his skills into something truly amazing.

If he could get his way Clint Barton would be the youngest agent in SHIELD's history, if he agreed to the training. But Phil was sure he would, the kid had to much talent to waste.

The older agent knew that given a few years Barton would be well know as Hawkeye and would be one of the agencies best assets and he would be there for him, every step of the way.

The Hawk had finally found his nest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, only my plans for them in my head. ;)

I would like to say a huge thanks to NinjaViper and Rivan Warrioress for the reviews, you made my day. And thanks to all those who favourited the story and following it.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Phil smiled at the wide eyed look Clint had whenever they entered a different part of the SHIELD base. It had been 2 weeks since Clint was released from medical, he had lasted 8 days in the medical bay before he was ready to climb the walls. The doctor had wanted to keep him there longer but Clint pleaded with Phil to get him out of there.

Phil had taken pity on him, especially when he turned those blue grey orbs on to him. He knew from his own experiences in the infirmary that you could only take staring at the same four wall for so long.

Now they were headed to the hanger. Clint had asked Phil if he could see the base and all the cool stuff they had, being a covert government agency. Phil had laughed and told him he watched to much television. Clint just shrugged and told the agent he couldn't remember the last time he had watched anything on TV. Phil felt bad, he hadn't even thought about the fact that with the teen being part of a travelling circus for nearly 5 years he probably wouldn't have had the option.

The awkward silence vanished when they walked passed the weapons range. Clint's eye's almost bulged out of their sockets.

"That is so cool. Can we go in there?" He pleaded, practically bouncing on the spot.

Phil steered him away with a chuckle. "Once the doctors are happy that your 100% healed I will let you go in there." He bargained. "But only if I'm present…alright?"

Clint pouted but nodded. At least it wasn't a no, he'd take that.

"Can we go inside one of the planes?" He asked, still glancing at everything and everyone they passed. A few of the agents they passed gave the kid a smile, and a nod to Phil. One of the agents, who worked with Phil a few years before as his junior agent gave Clint a high five as they passed each other. Clint grinned, over the moon that everyone here was really nice and didn't seem to mind that a fifteen year old was roaming the halls of their top secret base.

"Yes we can go inside. But please just promise not to touch anything." Phil answered with a knowing look at the teen. He knew how curious the kid was, always wanting to know things and touch things. It would get him into trouble one day he knew.

They entered the huge hanger bay, some of the Jets were already away, taking the agents to their new assignments. But four still remained, Phil headed towards the nearest one.

He glanced over his shoulder when he noticed Clint wasn't next to him and almost laughed when he saw the slack jawed awe on the boys face.

"You coming?" He jerked his head at the Jet. The teen nodded and moved to follow him onboard. Phil pointed to the pilots seat and Clint grinned from ear to ear as he took the seat offered.

"This is so cool….thanks Phil." Clint pulled on one of the headsets and started talking into it. "This is SHIELD agent Clint Barton….requesting permission to take off."

Clint almost jumped when a voice answered him.

"I'm afraid we need a verification code agent Barton."

Phil burst out laughing at the look on Clint's face, it was one of utter shock, then he grinned at being identified as an agent. That did sound really good.

Phil put on the other headset. "This is Agent Coulson, sorry Marie Clint didn't realise the headsets were active." He explained.

He could hear her grin through the speakers. "No apologies necessary Phil."

He pulled the headset off and sat it on the console. Clint pulled his off at the same time. "Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

Phil gave the back of his neck an affectionate squeeze, he'd noticed the kid didn't mind the comfort he tried to give with the simple action, and it made him feel good that the kid showed a trust in him. He was determined not to let him down.

"Can you fly one of these?" Clint asked in genuine interest.

Phil nodded. "Yes, but I don't usually get to fly because we have pilots. It's only for extreme cases that we need to learn." Clint had a frown on his face as he nodded. "Is that if something happens to the pilot and they can't fly….then you would need to?"

"Yeah. It hasn't happened very often, which is a good thing." Phil answered.

Clint swung around in the chair, then back again, then spun again, then stopped when he was facing Phil. He had a serious expression on his face that Phil hadn't seen before. He leaned back in the co pilots chair and waited.

Finally Clint broke the silence. "You know how you said you wanted me to think about getting trained as an agent….when I'm old enough that is….?" Phil nodded and waited for him to continue. "Well I was thinking….can I be a pilot? Or did you want me to be something else?" He stared at Phil, his blue eyes hoping for the right answer.

Phil cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Clint, I want you to be whoever you want to be….I just want you to know that I'll be there for you, whatever you decide." Leaning back in the chair he sighed. "I think you would make a great agent, the skills you already have with a bow and arrow, and the knife throwing is superior to some of our agents and your _only_ fifteen." He said with awe. "But you've got plenty of time to decide kid…plenty of time."

Clint thought that over and smiled at the older man. He couldn't believe that after just a few short weeks he felt he could trust this man, even after everything he'd been through. Phil just seemed to have that thing about him, the one that meant you could trust him with your life.

"Thanks Phil." Came the quiet but honest reply.

"Come on kid, we can grab something to eat on the way back ."

Clint hid a grimace. "Will they have proper food this time?"

"One can only hope kid." Phil laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers….sadly.

Only my warped imagination about the things I can do to them : )

Authors Note: I'm starting to get very carried away with this story LOL! I'd like to say a big thank you to NinjaViper and Rivan Warrioress your reviews brighten up my day, so thank you.

I have already started writing another few stories and will post in the next few days.

Thanks and hope you enjoy this chapter.

7 Months Later

Phil was a man on a mission, other agents dived out of his way as he headed towards the gym. He knew it's where the kid would be, he'd already checked the weapons range, the cafeteria and the vents. The kid could hide anywhere within the base but Phil would usually find him within the hour, but lately he had to admit the boy was getting better at staying hidden.

The doors swung open and he immediately spotted Clint at the far end on one of the treadmills. It looked like he'd been there a while, sweat covered the thin grey t-shirt he had on, he spotted the ear phones and smiled to himself. The kid had been over the moon when Phil gave him the mp3 player for his 16th birthday last week.

It was just over the 8 months since Phil had brought Clint to SHIELD after being stabbed by his own brother. Phil knew the kid was still adjusting, he could be happy and laughing one moment then switch to broody and withdrawn. But Phil knew it was hard for him, he was usually withdrawn after a nightmare, remembering in graphic detail what his brother did.

But over the last month the kid had seemed calmer and more laid back, and Phil noticed the quick wit and sarcasm that flowed from him so naturally. He was sure he was finally seeing the real Clint.

Clint seemed to be happy with his decision to stay at SHIELD, he knew he was still too young to become an agent but Phil was letting him train in certain areas so he would be a natural when the time came. Already Phil could tell the was a born athlete, he was a very fast runner, was already talented in acrobatics and his accuracy when firing a bow and arrow was better than some of SHIELD's best snipers. He wasn't allowed to use a gun yet but Phil knew he'd more than likely excel at that too.

He was also schooling Clint as he found out he was home schooled by his parents before they died, then at the orphanage Clint mentioned a few of the older kids would show the younger ones some of the basics like Maths and English and reading.

Phil knew the boy was smart, he picked things up really quickly and wanted to learn more. He had a real thirst for knowledge.

He stopped in front of the treadmill and waited for Clint to acknowledge him. Clint smirked at him and reached for the controls to turn off the machine, he pulled out the earphones with his other hand.

"Hey Phil." He greeted. "What's up?" He asked grabbing the towel off the railing.

Phil handed him a bottle of water and gave Clint an affectionate squeeze at the back of his neck.

"Thought you might like get out of here for a bit of fresh air." Phil replied smiling at the teen.

Clint looked surprised. "Really? Like outside and everything?" He smiled sarcastically.

Phil chuckled. "Well if you don't want to….." Clint paused as if thinking it over then grinned. "Yeah that'd be cool."

Coulson shook his head and guided the boy towards his room. "Go shower and get changed and grab a bag….meet you at the hangar in an hour?"

Clint's face scrunched up in confusion. "The hanger? We flying somewhere Phil?"

Phil ignored the question and kept walking. "You'll just have to wait and see won't you?"

Clint didn't waste any time, he practically ran towards his room and changed out of his shorts and sweaty t-shirt and jumped in the shower.

Phil shook his head at the boys enthusiasm and headed to see director Fury before they left on their trip. He had already gotten permission to take some personal time, and get to spend that time with Clint outside of the agency. He still wanted the kid to be able to do normal things.

He remembered the boy's face when he'd gotten the birthday cake, a few presents from some of the other agents and the gift from Phil, he'd looked ready to burst into tears. When Phil had asked him if he was alright, he had nodded and admitted, "I can't remember the last time I celebrated my birthday." One of the female agent looked ready to cry and the others looked ready to hurt someone.

The kid just brought the protective side out in everyone it seemed.

Clint sat slouched in the chair reading one of his favourite books, The Hobbit. Coulson was talking to the pilot to find out how long it would take to reach their destination, then headed back to his seat.

"Another hour or so." He told Clint.

Clint nodded and continued reading. Phil still hadn't told him where they were heading and he was feeling a little anxious. He trusted Phil but he knew there would always be that tiny voice in the back of his head telling him not to trust anyone as he'd be the one to get hurt again.

The hour flew by and then they were fastening their seat belts to prepare for landing. Clint stepped off first and breathed in the fresh air, then smiled as he realised he was in another country. He'd never been abroad before so he was feeling excited. The sun was beating down on him as he made his way on to the tarmac, he lifted his hand up to shield his eyes from the glare.

Phil stepped up behind him and gave him a nudge. "Come on, we will go check in at the hotel then do a bit of sightseeing."

Clint threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Phil to their hire car, he couldn't help but whistle appreciatively at the black Chevrolet Camaro. "Nice…."

The teen turned to Phil with a curious look on his face. "Where exactly are we Phil?"

The agent collected the keys for the sports car and put their bags in the trunk. "We are in Hawaii." The look that spread across Clint's face had Phil laughing out loud. It was like a kid in a candy store that had just been told they could eat as much as they wanted.

"Come on Barton, let's get moving." Clint immediately followed, jumping into the Camaro. He put on his sunglasses, belted up and gave Phil a thumbs up.

Coulson grinned at his young companion and put the pedal to the metal, this would be good.

It took a few hours to get to the hotel in Waikapu from the Kona International airport, once they checked in they headed to their room, Clint put his bag on one of the double beds and went for a wander round the room as Phil set his bag on the other bed and started to unpack. Everything folded neatly, it was _so_ Phil.

Clint took in everything, the size of the room was similar to the training room at the base, and that was big. There was an en suite bathroom with twin sized shower, then the open living room area with its own mini bar. Phil shook his head at Clint's silent question. _No alcohol._

Clint simply shrugged, he knew he wouldn't be allowed, but he had to ask. He flopped down on the bed. "Where are we going to go first? The beach?" He asked as he watched Phil sort his clothes into the drawers.

"Where ever you want to go Clint. We have two weeks to do whatever you want." Phil replied as he finished putting all his stuff away.

The teen sat up on the bed, his legs dangling over the end. "Really, two whole weeks? Was Fury mad that you asked for time off?"

Phil sat on his own bed and looked at Clint in amusement. "He was shocked I'd asked for time off because I don't think I've ever used any of it. But no he wasn't mad. Practically pushed me towards the door."

Clint laughed. "Seriously? You've never took time off? Why now then?"

Phil answered honestly. "I've never really had a reason to want to take time off….but now I do."

The teen ducked his head in embarrassment. "You didn't have to." He mumbled.

Phil got up and moved next to Clint, putting his arm around the teens shoulders and pulled him into a half hug. "I wanted to. Ok?"

Clint nodded and moved to stand. "Ok…lets go sightseeing then."

Phil grabbed his wallet and car keys and together they headed out to see the beautiful island.

Next chapter coming soon. Clint and Phil explore...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers…..One can dream though, _right_?

Authors Note: Thanks to those who reviewed, they really mean a lot. Now on with the holiday in Hawaii….

It had been three days and Phil had to admit he was really enjoying himself, never being the one to take holiday's. He was always considered by his colleagues to be a workaholic. He just couldn't switch off, but over the first three days in Hawaii with Clint, he felt at home. The kid just brought out a side in him he had never known was there.

_A father_.

Clint lay sprawled out on his bed, his left arm hanging over the edge, his right foot hanging over the opposite side. Mouth hanging open and soft snores escaping. Phil smiled fondly at the kids sleeping position, he really didn't know how he managed to sleep like that. Making his way to the kitchen, he grabbed the fresh orange out of the fridge and a glass from the cupboard.

They were going to go on the jet ski's today, Clint seemed to enjoy anything that went fast, Phil could tell he was an adrenalin junkie. He also asked Phil if they could hire a speed boat at some point and if he could drive.

Phil found he couldn't say no.

He downed the juice and made his way over to the bed. He didn't want to wake him just yet but they would have to go down for breakfast before leaving, and breakfast serving finished in an hour.

Leaning over the kid he brushed back some hair that had fallen over his eye, he had noticed the kid's hair was getting quite long, he would ask him later if he wanted it cut.

"Clint….come on bud. Time to get up." He spoke softly. Clint frowned and mumbled something before grabbing the covers and turning away from Phil.

He chuckled. "Come on Clint….breakfast, then jet ski.."

Clint's head lifted off the pillow and glanced in Phil's direction, eyes still closed. "Five more minutes.." He mumbled and sank into the pillow again.

Phil laughed. "Five minutes….then I will drag you out of bed.." He promised.

Clint grinned and stretched out. The bed was damn comfy, he wondered if Phil would let him take it back with them.

Phil was shocked when not five minutes later Clint was already out of bed and headed to the bathroom, hair sticking up every way.

Twenty minutes later they sat in the hotels restaurant eating pancakes for breakfast. Clint munching through his like he'd never been fed. Then when he noticed Phil still had two left on his plate he gave him the look, the one which had Phil pushing his plate toward the teen and was rewarded with a beaming smile.

"I could live on pancakes." He admitted to the older man.

Phil smirked as he took a sip of his coffee. "I couldn't tell….."

Clint glared back.

After a few minutes Phil nodded to Clint's plate. "That you finished…I'm sure those plates had patterns on them before you started eating."

Clint laughed at the agents sarcasm. He enjoyed it, he could just be himself with Phil.

"So you think you might get a tan on our holiday, Phil?" He asked seriously. "You almost blinded me the other day when you took your shirt off. I mean seriously I don't know why you even wear a white shirt at SHIELD, I'm sure just tying a tie round your neck would do."

Phil have a half-hearted glare at the teen but couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face. "I'm sure Director Fury would love that.."

Clint almost sprayed his juice all over the agent, he managed to contain himself though. "I could just imagine it now, Phil.." He started in his best Fury voice. "where is your shirt Coulson? - well director Fury, Clint said I was so white on our holiday that I didn't need a shirt. Then Fury would be like…." Clint covered one of his eyes with his hand and did a pretty good impression of Fury's glare and raised eyebrow.

Phil laughed as he moved to stand. "Come on you….lets get going."

Clint smiled and nodded, pushing his chair back and thanking the waitress that was on her way to tidy the table. "Mahalo.."

She smiled at him. "ʻAʻole pilikia."

Once they were in the car on the way to the place they hired the jet ski's from, Phil glanced over at his young companion. He'd never seen the boy look so relaxed, he gave himself an imaginary pat on the back. He knew he'd made the right choice asking the kid to stay at SHIELD, the kid needed someone who he could be himself around and Phil was over the moon that it was him.

"I can hear you thinking from here, Phil." Phil's eyes widened a fraction and he looked to see the kid still looking straight ahead, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the glare and smirking. _Damn the kid was good_.

"I was just thinking, I'm glad we did this….getting away from SHIELD for a bit. Letting you just be a kid and not surrounded by agents and guns and things involving national security."

Clint tipped his glasses down to the end of his nose and glanced at Phil. "But I like the guns and the cool new bow the techs are making for me."

"Are you saying you aren't enjoying yourself?" Phil asked.

Clint grinned. "Ummm….hell no!" He laughed. "Seriously….thanks Phil. It's not even been our first week here and already it's been the best three days ever. I don't really know how I'll be able to repay you for everything."

Phil shook his head at the teen. "You don't have to repay me for anything Clint. Seeing you smile and be truly happy….that's enough for me."

Clint pushed his dark glasses back up and nodded, staring back out at the passing scenery. He struggled with his emotions, ever since arriving at SHIELD he noticed that when he felt like crying, it wasn't like before. Before Phil, anytime Clint cried it was because he was hurting, or fighting. Now it was because everyone was so nice and actually cared about him, and he wasn't used to it.

Phil could imagine what was going through the boy's head and reached over and squeezed his knee affectionately. "You alright?"

"Yeah…." He sniffed. "I'm good."

"We're almost there."

They lapsed into silence, both thinking over what the other had said.

Clint couldn't keep the smile from his face the whole time on the jet ski, every time he past Phil he whooped and laughed, causing the agent to grin at the teen. Clint sped over the water like a skimming stone, then he would turn sharply and head back toward the shore. He loved the feeling of being the one in control of the jet ski, choosing which way to go and how fast he wanted to travel. He knew that's one of the reasons he loved firing his bow. It was all him, he was the one that could hit the target every time, he was the one that practiced for hours and hours to get it right. It calmed his mind from all the darkness he knew was in there.

When their time was up Phil could see a change in Clint. He wasn't sure what had happened to make him seem withdrawn but he wasn't going to let the kid stay that way.

They sat in the car, Clint pulled his seat belt on and glanced at Phil who was watching him with a concerned expression. "What's wrong?"

Clint sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Is there something wrong with me Phil?"

Phil looked confused. "What do you mean Clint?"

"I mean why does all these shitty things happen to me, was I like evil in a past life or something?" Clint's eyes flicked to look at Phil, who was looking a bit pissed.

Phil struggled to rein in his anger. "Clint I want you to listen to me okay?" Clint nodded and looked away, but Phil's hand reached out and turned him back to face him.

"None of what happened to you was your fault, you were the one surrounded by _shitty_ people, people who should have looked out for you. I will **never** hurt you, **never** abandon you, and will make sure **no one **will ever hurt you again." Phil finished by taking the kids hand and squeezing it. "Do you trust me?" He asked.

Clint faced the man, ignoring the tears that were trailing down his cheeks at Phil's words and stared at the sincerity shining from his eyes. He didn't have to think, he just nodded and gave a small embarrassed smile. Somehow Phil kept doing this to him, making him feel like a girl with all this crying. He gave a small chuckle at that and Phil raised an eyebrow in question.

"You keep making me cry and I'm starting to feel like a girl…." He explained.

Phil laughed. "Maybe I should start calling you Clare…or something?"

Clint wiped away the tears with a huffed laugh. "Oh yeah…well I will start calling you Phyllis."

They continued this most of the journey back to the hotel, laughing as they came up with girls names they could call each other.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers…..I don't know how many times I have to say this…..it makes me sad L

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and added this story to your favourites and alerts. It means a lot…so thank you!

I'm not sure how long this is going to go on, will last as long as the idea's keep coming into my head I suppose.

Enjoy!

Phil closed his eyes and sighed. The sun was beating down on them both as they sun bathed on the beach. Their first week had flown in, they had travelled around the island in the Camaro with the roof down, then hired a speed boat for a day, went to one of the water parks. Where Phil noticed once again Clint had no fear, he loved all the biggest chutes, the ones that would get your heart racing as you dropped nearly 100 feet in an almost vertical drop.

Today though, they were taking the day to relax. Phil was to work on his tan apparently. He glanced over at the kid stretched out on the beach towel.

Clint wore his surfer shorts and no shirt, sunglasses pushed up in his spiky hair. Phil had talked him into getting his hair cut, now it was short at the back and sides with the top just long enough to spike up.

The teen must have felt Phil's eyes on him and arched an eyebrow at the agent. "I know I'm awesomely good-looking Phil but I just don't see you that way…" He smirked.

Phil spluttered and turned a very bright shade of red. Clint laughed and sat up. "You alright?"

The agent shook his head smiling. "Your unbelievable." Clint shrugged his shoulders in reply. "Well….I don't like to brag but…"

Phil laughed and Clint grinned, they'd been like this the last few days. Winding each other up and having a laugh. Clint didn't think he'd ever get along with someone the way he and Phil got along. They were so alike in some ways, their sense of humour especially. Phil was fiercely protective of the teenager, something Clint found he was starting to get used to. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on top.

Phil watched the boy closely. "You okay kid?"

Clint nodded and smiled, turning his head to look at Phil who was looking at him with concern. "What is it?" He asked confused at the sudden change.

Clint lifted his head and stared at Phil for a few seconds before responding. Phil knew he'd never get used to how blue the kids eyes were and that they seemed to look right through you.

"I'm happy I met you Phil." He started honestly. "I know you said before that I don't owe you anything but I just feel like…..I owe you everything. I've not even known you a year and already I feel closer to you than anyone else I've ever known." He turned his head back towards the ocean, watching the waves roll in.

Phil took a moment to control his emotions. He knew he felt the same way, the kid had, in a short space of time become his number one priority. He was glad he had such and understanding boss, Fury might not show much emotion and usually just barked out orders but even he had developed a soft spot for the teen.

Phil turned to Clint. "I'm glad I met you too, maybe not the circumstances but I couldn't imagine not meeting you now. You're an amazing kid Clint, and I will admit I never really gave much thought about being a parent….but the time I've gotten to spend with you has made me realise what I've missed out on." He saw a small smile tug at the corners of the kids lips. "I know your sixteen and haven't really had any parental figures in your life for some time but…I was wondering if you'd let me be your guardian….only if you want me to though." He finished quickly.

The smile that lit up the boy's face was almost brighter than the sun beating down on them. "YEAH! I…I mean yeah…that'd be okay, I guess." He looked down at his hands which he had buried into the sand.

Phil beamed, then pulled the boy into a hug. This holiday was turning out even better than he'd hoped.

"Phil…." He whined.

Phil chuckled and watched as the kid tried to fix his tie, they were going out for dinner and Clint had asked Phil if he could wear a suit. Phil had a feeling he was trying to copy him as he always wore a suit. He was sure Clint was regretting that decision now.

The teen glared at the older man and gestured to the tie that was now in a knot. _Help!_

The agent smirked and made his way over to Clint as the teen sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. "Here…" He motioned for the boy to lift his head and Phil went about untying the knot, then pulled both ends towards him, he made it so the thinner side was smaller in length and wrapped the thicker side around it. Clint stared at him fixing the tie in fascination, Phil smiled at the focussed expression, the kid really was curious about everything.

"You like the suit?" Phil asked as he finished with the tie.

Clint smirked as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Yeah, thanks….not a big fan of tie's though."

Phil shook his head. "Well you don't have to wear it….you can just wear the shirt and suit trousers. You'll still look smart."

"Nah, it's okay. Besides I think I look pretty good in the full suit." He told the agent.

Phil smiled as he watched the boy pull on his new shoes. He'd let Clint pick what suit he wanted and the kid had picked charcoal grey trousers and suit jacket, a dark purple shirt and a silver and purple striped tie. Phil had to admit the kid had style.

Once he finished with the shoes he stood and looked in the mirror once again.

"Your not vain at all…." Phil laughed and grabbed his own jacket. He probably wouldn't need it because of the heat but he'd always thought it best to be prepared.

They headed out, deciding to leave the car as the restaurant was only a fifteen minute walk. As they strolled down the side-walk Phil suddenly burst out laughing, Clint shot him a strange look. "What are you laughing at?"

It took Phil a few moments to compose himself before turning to the teen. "Have you noticed anything strange since we left the hotel?" Clint just shook his head looking at Phil like a crazy person. "Every young girl we've walked past has given you the eye."

"Huh?" Clint looked genuinely confused. Phil decided to help him out. "They think your hot." He couldn't help laugh at the shocked look that passed over the kids face then as he turned a bright shade of red. Phil put his arm around the teens shoulders and gave him a quick hug, he thought Clint might pull away as they were out in the open with girls ogling him and all, but instead Clint leaned into the embrace. The agent couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

When they finally reached the restaurant, Clint stared up at the huge sign that hung outside. "The Buteos? What does that mean?" He asked in curiosity. Phil smiled and pushed the boy towards the door. "The Buteos is known as the Hawaiian Hawk. I thought it was fitting."

Clint smiled back. "That's so cool."

They made their way inside and the waiter took them to their seats. "Would you like a drink?" The waiter asked politely looking between the two.

Phil looked at Clint and watched him shrug. Phil thought for a second before ordering two Blue Hawaii's. Clint gave him a quizzical look. "What's that?"

"It's a fruit juice drink, non-alcoholic and trust me you'll like it." Clint just nodded, his face still scrunched up. "You know you could have gotten something alcoholic and just got me a soft drink." He informed the agent. Phil just smiled shaking his head. "I don't really drink Clint. It doesn't bother me."

When the waiter walked over with the drinks Clint's eyes widened at how blue it was. He tried it as soon as it was placed on the table and gave Phil a huge grin. "Mmmmm….nice."

The waiter smiled at the two. "Here are your menu's, I will give you some time to decide. If you need anything, my name is Kamekona."

They thanked him and picked up the menu's, looking over the choices of Hawaiian delicacies and other foods if you weren't into the native dishes. Clint flicked through the menu three times before deciding on the Chicken Long Rice and Okinawan Donuts for dessert, while Phil chose the Teriyaki Meat Balls and the Banana Pie for his own dessert.

When Kamekona returned to take their order, Clint's chair was empty. After a quick glance at the agent he was told the teen had jumped to the restroom. Kamekona nodded and took Phil's order, then asked. "And what will your son be having tonight, sir?"

Phil didn't even try to stop the smile from spreading across his features. "He'll have the Chicken Long Rice and the Okinawan Donuts. Thank you." He handed the menu's back and smiled when Clint made his way back to the table. "What's with the cheesy smile?" He questioned as he took his seat.

"Kamekona just called you my son." He explained. "It just sounded really nice to hear that."

Clint laughed lightly and pointed towards the bar. "The woman behind the bar just told me if my dad wanted an alcoholic drink just to ask and she'd bring it over."

They both grinned at each other, Clint took another sip of his drink. "This is really good." Phil agreed and took a drink of his own. He watched as Clint glanced around the room and he couldn't believe how relaxed the teen was looking now. It was almost as if what happened those eight months ago, didn't happen. He wanted to keep it that way.

They had a few laughs before their meal was brought out and both immediately dug in, the only sound was of their food disappearing from the plates. Clint who'd finished his in nearly four bites let out a loud belch, he hid his face in embarrassment as a few patrons glanced over. Phil burst out laughing and told them it was a compliment.

Once Kamekona had returned to take away the plates he smiled at the boy. "Did you enjoy that?"

Clint nodded. "Yeah thanks." He ducked his head, still feeling flushed. "Mahalo." The waiter headed back towards the kitchen.

The desserts were brought out not long after, and both were devoured just as fast. They sat for a bit letting their stomachs settle before finally paying. Phil left Kamekona a generous tip. They both were given a huge hug by the cheery waiter before they made their exit and were welcomed back anytime.

As they made their way back to the hotel, they took their time just enjoying being on the beautiful island. Phil finally broke the silence. "Have you ever been abroad before Clint?"

The teen was already shaking his head. "Nah, I always wanted to though, used to imagine all the places I could go, the things I'd get to see." He stopped and glanced up at Phil. "This has been so much better than I ever imagined. So…thank you..da…" He stopped himself and looked away from the agent who was watching him with wide eyes.

"Clint…" Phil started, then paused. "You can call me whatever you want….not girls names though." Clint smiled. "You can call me Phil, Coulson, pain in the ass or…..dad." Clint watched the emotions play across Phil's face when he said the last one. "I just want you to be happy and like I said before, I know you haven't had anyone in that role for a long time….and you might not want it now, but I'm here whenever you need anything. Or if you just want to talk about things."

Clint nodded and was once again pulled into the mans warm embrace. It had been so long since he'd had a proper fatherly hug, he'd almost forgot what it was like.

They started walking again, Clint waited a few minutes before leaning his head against Phil's shoulder as they walked.

"Thanks….dad."

Clint didn't need to see Phil's face to know there was a huge grin spreading across his features.

Yeah, he was definitely enjoying this holiday.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, only the made up characters I add to stir things up. LOL

Author's Note: I have been encouraged to add a bit of whump to this story, and a bit of friction between our two favourite characters. Thank you once again for the awesome reviews, hope this lives up to your expectations, **NinjaViper** and **R.W**.

As always….enjoy!

Director Fury saw a change from his agent and the teen their first month back after their holiday. Fury didn't comment on it. Just welcomed his agent back, he knew Phil was close with the kid and had to admit he had developed a soft spot for the boy. He was just so easy to get along with. Fury liked to see people who weren't afraid to just be themselves around him, instead of the usual ass kissers that he usually dealt with. Clint was starting to open up a bit more, and he enjoyed seeing the interaction between Coulson and the teen. Clint seemed to bring out a more human side in the agent.

Something had definitely happened on their holiday to Hawaii, both were smiling and laughing more and they seemed to be happy.

He hoped it stayed that way.

Five weeks after they had returned from Hawaii, Phil was due to leave on a mission for a few days and it would be his first since Clint had been brought in. Fury had managed to keep Phil on base because he knew the teen needed him here, but this mission needed his top agent. Phil hadn't been too pleased but he understood. He couldn't stay on base forever, as much as he wanted to.

Now Phil had to let Clint know.

He knocked on the door before entering. Clint was sat at his computer, earphones in and head bobbing along to whatever music he was listening to. He almost jumped when he noticed Phil. Pulling the earphones off he turned to face the agent.

"Hey Phil." He wasn't sure how the other agents would react if he called Phil dad, so they had said they would wait till Phil spoke to Fury. He wanted to get papers signed.

Phil nodded in greeting and sat on the bed. Clint could tell right away something was wrong. "What is it? Did he say no?" He looked down at the floor. "Did you change your mind?" He asked quietly.

Phil was up and kneeling in front of him in a flash. "No Clint, it's not that, I didn't get a chance to speak to him yet. And I haven't changed my mind, alright?"

Clint gazed into his eyes and nodded. "What's wrong then?"

Phil sighed. "I have to go away on a mission for a few days."

Clint just stared, he hadn't expected that. "Why now? You haven't been away on a mission for ages."

Phil nodded and placed a hand on Clint's knee. "Fury managed to keep me out of any missions that would take me away from base because we both knew you shouldn't be left on your own."

Clint chewed the side of his thumb thoughtfully. "So how long will you be away?" Phil could tell he wasn't happy but he was trying to be strong for him.

"It's just a few days, I will be running the mission from the safe house while the agents do some recon." He gave Clint a small smile. "I will be fine okay, I've been on hundreds of missions."

Clint nodded but wasn't convinced. "Can I come?" He knew even as he asked Phil would say no. Right enough Phil was shaking his head. "You know you can't Clint. But you can do whatever you want here. I will be back before you know it."

The teen turned away, facing the computer again. Phil knew it was because they'd spent pretty much every day together since Clint was found. The kid trusted him and it had taken time to get to where they were now. He didn't want to ruin it.

"Clint, I know your upset. But please don't be mad, I will have to start going away on missions but it won't be often. I will even speak to Fury about it." He was sure he knew why the teen was upset and his next word confirmed it.

"What if something happens to you? What then?" Clint snapped. And Phil blinked in shock, Clint had never raised his voice to him before.

"I can't promise that nothing will happen Clint. You know that. But I will promise to do my absolute best to return to you." He replied calmly.

Clint scoffed. "Yeah okay."

Phil's eyes narrowed. "Look son, don't do this okay. I don't want to leave but I have to, it's my job." Phil tried to reason with the teen but it seemed a wasted effort.

"Look just go alright, you have your mission. Go be a good little agent and do what Fury tells you to do." Clint knew he was being a brat, but he was scared, scared that something would happen to Phil, because that was just his luck. To finally be happy and then have the carpet pulled out from under him.

Phil didn't answer just stared at him for a moment then headed to the door. "I'll see you soon, kid." And shut the door behind him.

Clint couldn't help it, he lost it. Throwing the computer screen on the floor with a smash, then throwing his mp3 across the room. It hit the wall, and fell to the floor in bits. Clint realised what he'd done after he'd thrown it, that was a gift from Phil.

He threw himself onto the bed and buried his head into the pillow, sobbing as the fear, anger and sadness he felt took over him.

* * *

Phil sat stone faced in the back of the jet. It had been 4 hours since he and Clint had spoken. He sighed in frustration, he knew the teen was just worried but it still hurt that he wasn't talking to him.

The other agents kept glancing at him but didn't say a word. They knew better. It took 2 hours to reach their destination and Phil knew he'd have to shelf the worry that kept buzzing around in his head. He had a mission to complete, then he and Clint would talk.

The jet would be picking up another team and taking them back to base before returning for Phil's group.

Phil was confident in his teams abilities, they were highly trained and could get in and out of most situations without any problems. He just had to sit back and wait.

* * *

Fury glanced up from his work to see a nervous looking agent hovering outside his door. He sighed and motioned for them to enter.

"Director…um..sir…" The agent stuttered.

Fury groaned internally. "What is it agent? Spit it out." He ordered in his no-nonsense tone.

"We can't find Barton, sir." The agent told him, looking anywhere in the room but Fury's one good eye.

"WHAT?" He exploded. Phil had asked him to keep an eye on the teen, no pun intended. He could tell his agent wasn't to happy about leaving but Phil wasn't one to complain. Fury started typing furiously on the keyboard bringing up the teens tracking signature, he'd been given one as a precaution in-case something happened and as he was under SHIELD's protection they had to be able to keep an eye on the boy. Fury grunted in frustration when it came up on-screen that Clint wasn't on the base.

_Dammit_.

He couldn't contact Coulson, as it could jeopardise the mission if his head was elsewhere. He waved the agent out of his office, the man practically ran out. Fury brought up the surveillance from the past few hours and it was only after the second time he noticed the figure climbing out of one of the vents and slip into the jet, before Phil or anyone had arrived.

_Great, that__'__s just what he needed. A teenager in a hostile situation. Phil was going to have to have words with kid, hell he was going to have words with him_.

Fury contacted the pilot of the jet and informed him of the situation.

* * *

Clint knew he was in deep shit. He should have stayed on the jet, but no, he had the great idea of following Phil. And they had a car, he didn't. The only good thing was that he had heard some of the agents talking on the jet about where they were setting up. He just had to get there.

He pulled his hoodie up so no one could see his face, just to be safe. He stayed close to the populated area's and asked for directions at a few of the establishments. It took him almost three hours to get there and when he finally got to the street, he waited, he knew most of the agents on base and would recognise them if he saw them. It took another forty minutes before he saw one of them leave the house just at the end of the street. It looked just like any other house on the block. But he knew that was the point, it had to blend in.

He made his way to the house and stopped a few feet away from the front door. This really wasn't a good plan, he knew that, but he also couldn't leave it until Phil got back. Just in-case.

The familiar tightening in his chest started when he thought of losing the older agent. He had wanted to apologise, but also wanted to see what the agent did, what kind of thing he was going to be training for.

He took a deep breath and started towards the door, but stopped dead when he felt something pressed into the back of his head. He tried to swallow down the fear that was building, and muffled a cry of surprise when a hand was placed across his mouth and pulled him into the house next door to SHIELD's safe house.

He was shoved roughly to the floor and a well placed kick to his side left him gasping for air. The man crouched down next to the terrified teen and placed the barrel of the gun into the side of his head

Clint's eyes widened when he realised who it was that was threatening him with a gun. "Gary?…." He asked, confusion filling his features.

Gary McDade was one of the agents at SHIELD, Clint had no idea why he'd be doing this. The agent gave the boy a eerie smile.

"Hello Clint….bet your wondering what the hell is going on?" Gary spoke calmly and stood up, walking over to the window to check outside. It was still quiet. "Someone is willing to pay a lot of money for you." He told the teen. "And I'm afraid that I'm having a little money trouble at the moment, this was just a blessing in disguise."

Clint sat up, his back against the wall. His side protested but he knew his ribs were bruised not broken, small mercies. "Who? And just wait till Phil finds out you're a traitor. He will make you wish you were dead."

Gary just grinned and turned back to the boy. "Phil won't even know until it's too late. I will have my money and be in the wind. It's a win, win Clint." The teen just glared.

Clint took in his surroundings and noticed that the house appeared to be empty, there was no furniture, and from what he could see of the kitchen, there were a couple of takeout containers on the worktop. It looked like this had been planned, but how did he know Clint was going to follow Phil? He decided to ask.

"How long have you been planning this? And how did you know I'd be here?" He wasn't going to be intimidated by this agent, he'd been dealing with ass hats most of his life and was deciding now, that he wasn't going to show them fear. Phil was the only person in his life that truly mattered and he knew the agent would find him, he trusted him.

Gary smirked at the teen from his place leaning against the wall. "I was approached on a mission by a man a few months back, he knew you were at SHIELD and offered me a price to bring you to him." He paused, thinking back to the conversation he had with the man. "It was a very good price and will make it very easy for me to disappear."

He walked over to stand in front of Clint. "As for you being here, well that was just fate. I have a friend that monitors the camera's and told me you'd snuck on board, so I borrowed one of the jets and got here a few hours ago and waited, took you long enough to find the safe house." He commented. Then gesturing to the house they were in. "And this place used to be the safe house but they realised a bit late that it was next door that had an escape route built underneath." He looked over at the boy smiling. "And next door has been sound-proofed, so don't even think about trying to shout for help."

Clint glared at the man, he really should have just stayed at SHIELD. Gary seemed to know what he was thinking and replied. "I was the one that talked Fury into giving Phil this mission, an easy one just to get him back into the swing of things. If you'd stayed at the base, that's where I'd planned on taking you from. You wouldn't have been any safer there, believe me."

The teen wrapped his arms around his stomach and leaned his head against the wall. _This was just fantastic_. He flinched back when the agent made his way back over with a knife in his hand, the gun placed back in its holster.

"I'm afraid I will have to remove the tracker kid, can't have them finding you before I make the trade."

Clint pulled himself to his feet and tried to make a run for it but Gary being quicker and stronger, grabbed the hood on the kids jacket and yanked him backwards. Clint stumbled back and smacked into the wall, his head connecting painfully with the corner. He slid down to the floor his vision whiting out for a second before he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

Pulling his injured limb to his chest he squinted up at the crazy agent and saw a fire in his eyes before the fist connected with his face, knocking him out cold.

Oh dear...just wait till Phil find's out.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, I just like to play with them in my stories and bang them up a bit LOL

Author's Note: I am over the moon with all the reviews and favourites and alerts this story and Father and Son have gotten.

So a massive thank you to all those people. And my reviewers,

**Castielswingman**, **Rivan Warrioress**, **NinjaViper**, **Bookdancer**, **Dani9513**, **Sammygirl**, **HawkEye1234**, **GalynSolo**, **Ramonks33**.

I have written an extra long chapter as thanks.

Please be aware there is some extra whumpage in this chapter and some swearing.

Hope you enjoy….let me know!

To say Phil was angry would be an understatement, he was positively livid. He'd just got off the phone with Fury who informed him that not only was Clint missing from the base and seemed to have snuck onboard the jet before they took off, but that they seemed to have a traitor working for them, they had sent encrypted emails to a secured account talking about the teen, and agreeing on a price.

Phil was seething, Fury had told him the agent had used one of the jets less than an hour after Phil's team left on their mission and his tracker had shown him landing at the airstrip the other team had just arrived at.

Coulson turned and smashed his fist into the wall next to him. It left a dent in the plaster but didn't go all the way through, he stood rigid, his shoulders shaking in barely contained anger. This just couldn't be happening, he was supposed to protect Clint from this, he promised. Sucking in a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves, he took control of his breathing, he needed to pull himself together. If the agent had been on his way here then Phil would find him.

He needed to.

Pulling the chair out from the small desk, he started typing furiously on the keys, bringing up agent McDade's last known location before he'd somehow managed to hide his tracker signal. Phil was also worried, Fury mentioned Clint's signal seemed to have been distorted only a mile or so from where the jet had landed. Unfortunately there was a large amount of area to cover, Phil just hoped Clint had managed to make it close to the safe house.

Bringing up the exterior camera's he watched back over the last six hours of data, he clicked on the screen when he noticed a figure dressed in black clothes make their way into the house next door, the one Phil knew to be empty. And if the image was of McDade, Phil knew he wouldn't have any knowledge of the new camera's that he had placed around the roof of this safe house.

He watched as the figure made their way back down the street less than a few minutes after entering the house. It was after searching through the next few hours that Phil's heart stopped.

_Clint_.

The boy had his hood up and hand shoved into his pockets, but Phil knew that walk anywhere. He watched frozen as Clint stopped practically right outside the door to the safe house, started walking forward then stopped again. That's when Phil noticed the dark figure pointing a gun at his boy's head then dragging him backwards into the house. Phil slammed his fist against the keyboard and stood quickly, almost knocking the chair over. He pulled his handgun from its holster and ran out the front door. He didn't even stop to think, just reacted to the fear that was flowing through his veins. If this bastard had hurt his boy he'd make him suffer, very slowly.

He kicked the door in and cleared the first two rooms he came upon, then the kitchen. It was quiet, he brought his gun up at the ready and made his way to the door across from the kitchen, it was the only one with the door closed. He steeled himself and with a forceful kick at the door, watched it burst open, slamming into the wall with a bang. He walked in slowly, the room was empty but he froze when he spotted something in the corner of the small room. He strode over and crouched down next to the dark item and picked it up, it was Clint's hoodie, but he froze when he spotted something underneath.

His blood ran clod at the sight of blood staining the old carpet, and then he noticed the small tracker laying in the middle of the dark stain.

Phil felt his emotions bubbling to the surface and with one hand gripping his son's jacket, the other shoved the gun into his holster, he pulled the soft jacket to his face as he muffled a choked sob.

_McDade was a dead man_.

* * *

Clint sat up groaning and touched the back of his head, it came back wet. _Blood_. He waited till his vision wasn't so blurry and took in his surroundings. It looked like a cellar, loads of junk scattered around. Standing slowly he leaned back against the wall and cradled his hand against his chest, it hurt like crazy and looked a bit swollen. He sent a silent prayer that Phil would find him soon, he had a good guess at who would want him, he just wasn't sure why.

They'd already got their revenge, hadn't they?

He knew he'd have to wrap the wound on his hand, it was still bleeding a little. The teen knew he wouldn't be able to use anything from down here as it was dirty and would probably make it worse, so he settled for ripping a piece off of his t-shirt and wrapped it as best he could, then tied the knot with the help of his teeth.

Clint searched around the small room for a way out, but there was only one window and he would definitely not fit through it. He sighed and slumped against the wall.

_McDade was a dick_.

He hoped Phil found him soon, so he could tell him how sorry he was for acting like a brat. All Phil had done since day one was look out for him. The guilt he felt was eating away at him, he really didn't want those to be his last words to the man he was starting to see like a father.

He was pulled from his thought when he heard footsteps above his head, then heard the door to the cellar unlock and footsteps coming down the short flight of stairs. Clint stayed hidden in the far corner but he knew he couldn't escape, he was still feeling the bruises from the last time he tried.

"Come out boy!" A deep voice echoed round the small room. Clint frowned, he didn't recognise that voice. Next thing he knew McDade was in front of him pulling him to his feet, Clint kicked out at the agent knowing the agent would retaliate but he couldn't just sit still and let them take him. It was a survival instinct. McDade grunted in pain as the teens foot connected with his knee, but he managed to stay standing. The other man however wasn't in the mood and grabbed a fist full of Clint's short hair and yanked his head back.

"Don't try that again." He growled and threw Clint to the ground. The boy cried out when Brutus, as he would now be known, stamped down on his injured hand. He couldn't help the scream of pain, McDade grinned and pulled the teen to his feet. "Shoulda seen that coming kid." He scolded.

Clint was pushed up the stairs by the agent, Brutus leading the way into a large open plan living room. Clint froze when he recognised the man standing in the centre of the room.

_Swordsman_.

The older man smiled wickedly at the teen. "Hello Clint, we have some business to discuss."

Clint frowned. _Huh_? Swordsman gestured to the couch and Clint found himself being manhandled over to it and pushed roughly onto the seat. McDade and Brutus standing behind him like a couple of sentry's.

The man paced back and forth in front of Clint, the boy could see the anger burning in the man's eyes. For some reason though, he wasn't as scared as he thought he'd be if he came face to face with his so-called mentor again. Phil had seen to that, now he just imagined this guy getting his ass handed to him by the agent. The thought made him smirk.

Unfortunately Swordsman didn't seem to happy with the expression and backhanded the boy roughly, his head snapping to the left. He refused to cry out, instead biting his lip against the throbbing in his cheek. The older man grinned, impressed.

"I see you finally developed a back bone, interesting. I will enjoy beating that out of you."

Clint just glared at him. "I'm surprised you haven't asked where your brother is, Clint."

The teens eye's narrowed. "I don't have a brother." The older man simply shrugged. "No matter, you won't be seeing him again anyway. You caused me quite a bit of trouble involving those agents in my business. We lost a lot of buyers, someone had to take the blame." Clint watched as he pulled a wicked looking dagger from seemingly nowhere and walked towards him.

Clint was ready to surge forward when powerful hands gripped his shoulders, pinning him down. "I didn't involve the agents, they were already on to you."

Swordsman ignored him, he stood grinning over the boy, he would make the boy suffer for ruining his business. No one would deal with him now, not once they realised SHIELD was on his tail. And that was the kids fault, he just had to go get himself taken in by a government agency that seemed to expand across the globe. Now he, the Swordsman was confined to the shadows, hiring people to do his dirty work for him.

_Not any more_, he sneered. If SHIELD wanted the kid back in one piece, they'd do as he demanded. He stood in front of Clint, the knife aimed at him threateningly. Pointing the tip towards the boy's eye, Clint tried not to flinch back but couldn't help it. His former mentor had lost it, he could see it in his eyes.

Swordsman smirked at the fear he saw, it made him feel powerful.

"Now Clint, I think it only right I take back what I gave you. The skills you have, they could be deadly. And I know you won't join me….so….I'm afraid I can't let someone else use those skills against me." He leaned forward, his breath almost making Clint want to gag. It was vile.

Clint did his best to swallow down the fear and looked the man straight in the eye. "What do you hope to get out of this, huh? SHIELD won't back off….your one of the bad guys. They will keep coming until they either catch you or take you out." The older man growled and grabbed the front of the teens shirt. "They will do as I ask." He grinned cruelly at Clint. "Or you will be the one that pays for it." He stood slowly and all Clint saw before feeling the sting on his cheek was the flash of silver. He noticed blood on the tip of the blade and watched as the man wiped it on the arm of the couch.

Brutus walked round to stand in front of the teen and reached out to grab his injured hand, he held the boy forward and placed his hand down on the table. Swordsman stood next to him holding the blade in his right hand.

"Lets see if you remember this game Clint?" The teen gulped and watched as he tapped the tip of the blade between each of his fingers, slowly at first then building speed until all he could see was a blur of steel. Clint didn't dare try to move, the first time the man did this to him he was twelve, it was to show him how deadly the dagger could be and to appreciate what it could do.

You didn't show fear, Clint had failed that first time and ended up with a nasty gash in his hand.

He didn't fail again.

* * *

Phil knew it was best to leave searching the camera's around the city to the experts, the whiz kids at SHIELD were the best at what they did and if they found Clint faster, he gladly defer to them.

When an image flashed up on his screen, Phil clicked on the zoom and when he recognised the man known as Swordsman, Phil saw red.

The agents in the room with him at the time had taken a step back, Phil hadn't realised he had actually growled deep in his throat. They could also see the anger radiate off the experienced agent. Suddenly Phil was barking orders over the phone.

"Check every damn camera in this city and tell me where that son of a bitch is! And I wanted to know this an hour ago!" He slammed down the phone and made his way to the weapons bag, pulling out a few guns, some knives, a grenade and extra ammunition.

Agent Collins stepped forward, looking Phil in the eye and started grabbing a few weapons for himself. Phil gave him a nod in thanks. The other agent grabbed a handful of ammo. They all shared a look and headed outside to the dark sedan. Phil jumping into the passenger seat flipping his phone open.

"Send anything you find to the GPS, we are heading out." He snapped the phone shut before waiting for a reply.

He was going to get his boy back.

* * *

Clint sat with his back against the wall of the cellar, he ignored the wetness on his face and used his uninjured hand to wipe at his runny nose. He knew Swordsman had finally gone insane, he always thought there was something not quite right with the man, but he was busy enjoying learning to fire his bow to really think about what the man was capable of. Now he knew, he cradled his bloody hand to his chest and tried desperately not to look at it. The blade had sliced right through his hand and into the table. He had cried out in agony, unable to stop the tears streaming down his face.

Swordsman had stood there smiling that eerie smile that was really starting to creep the teen out.

Clint pulled his knees up to his chest and prayed Phil found him soon.

* * *

McDade paced around the room, he was getting nervous. He should be in the wind by now, then this mad man had asked for his services for a little while longer. And since he didn't have his money yet he thought it would be better not to piss him off. Now he was getting fidgety, Coulson wasn't a man to be trifled with and he knew the lengths the man would go, to get the boy back.

He needed to get his money and go. "When am I getting my money? I did what you asked."

The older man smirked at Brutus and turned to the briefcase behind him. "Very well, this is your payment. Thank you for your services agent McDade."

McDade was too busy trying to see the briefcase he didn't notice the other man step behind him and with lightning fast moves had his hands on either side of the agents head and twisted sharply. The agent fell to the floor in a heap.

"Thank you Rayne, he was becoming annoying." He said casually. Then walking to the chair in the corner behind the large desk, he sat with a sigh.

The other man growled. "What about the boy?"

Swordsman hummed in thought. "I still have plans for him, but I suppose I should start negotiations. What do you think?" He wasn't really waiting for a reply and he didn't get one. He liked people who didn't ask too many questions.

Rayne pulled the agents phone out of his pocket and handed it over. He flipped it open and started scrolling through the phonebook, he saw the number he was looking for and hit call.

* * *

Phil and the agents were half way towards the co-ordinates for where the target was seen heading into.

His phone started ringing. _McDade_ it flashed.

Coulson almost crushed his phone he gripped it that tightly. "Where is he McDade?! I swear I will kill you if you've touched one hair on his head!" Phil knew he had, so basically they were already dead.

"I'm afraid Agent McDade has lived out his usefulness. But don't worry, young Clint is still mostly in one piece." Phil cursed. "You're a dead man Swordsman…you've already signed your death warrant."

The man tutted over the phone. "Such hostility Agent Coulson. All I want is to be left alone, you stop your people from watching me and Clint will go free. He is merely a tool to use at my disposal."

Phil glared at the agent driving to go faster. He put his foot down.

"You already know we won't stop, your one of the bad guys, we will take you down Swordsman, of that I give you my word."

There was silence on the other end. "So be it." And the line went dead.

"Get us there now! We don't have much time." Phil ordered.

_Hold on Clint, I__'__m coming_.

* * *

The teen stood shakily when he heard a thump from upstairs, it sounded like a body hitting the floor.

He reused the strip of his t-shirt to wrap round the hole through his hand, it was already saturated in blood and Clint was starting to feel nauseous.

The door slammed shut upstairs. Had someone left? Making his way unsteadily to the staircase, he moved a few things from under the steps and hid. Because it was the wooded steps there was a gap between and he could reach through and trip whoever came down the stairs.

He knew it was risky, but he was pretty sure he didn't have much time left. He had to do something.

As if on cue the door unlocked and he watched as they got to the right position and he quickly grabbed their ankle causing them to shout out in shock and go face first into the concrete floor.

Clint didn't even stop to check who it was, he bundled up the stair as fast as he could, tripping a few times in his hurry to get away.

He made it to the top floor and saw the front door burst open just as he was grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over his mouth. His eyes widened as he saw Phil standing right there in front of him, gun pointed squarely at Swordsman.

Phil's eyes widened at the sight of Clint, blood was smeared on his cheek and a bloody rag was tied round his hand. He looked exhausted, dark rings around his eyes, but he also saw hope shining in those blue-grey eyes.

"Well…well, if it isn't Agent Coulson. We meet finally." He pulled Clint closer to him, the knife returning to the teens throat. "This boy has caused me a lot of trouble."

Phil just glared. "I made a promise.."

Swordsman tilted his head in question. "And what was that promise….?"

Phil tightened his grip on the gun and glanced at Clint before his eyes focused back on his target. Clint's eyes widened, then he clamped them shut as the gun shot rang out.

He fell to the floor in a heap, Phil already on his knees beside him, checking him over and pulling him into a crushing hug.

Clint was sobbing in his arms as Phil shouted for a medic. "I'm sorry…I so, so sorry Phil…."

Phil rocked him back and forth. "Hey…your okay Clint, you're going to be fine…"

Phil knew there were tears running down his cheeks too but he didn't care.

He got his boy back.

Woohoo! Clint's been saved, next the aftermath…..


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers….that would be awesome though.

Author's Note: I'm not sure whether to make this the end or carry on with Clint going through training. I already have a name for it, The Hawk Leaves the Nest.

I will let you wonderful reviewers decide!

Thank you** ALL** for reading, your kind words are an inspiration.

Enjoy!

It was nearly four days since Clint had been brought back to SHIELD, it was also his first day out of the medical bay.

Phil had forbidden him from leaving until the doctors say so. He hadn't argued.

The teen knew he messed up, he could see the disappointment in the older agents eyes. But Phil had also barely left him alone for more than thirty minutes since they returned.

His hand had needed stitches, and a few fingers were broken. It was now wrapped in thick white bandages. They put butterfly stitches on the cut on his cheek, and the gash on the back of his head.

Phil still hadn't spoken to him about him sneaking off base and he knew it would come up. He was sorry, but McDade had also said that he had planned to take Clint from the base in the first place.

Clint made his way to his room, he barely glanced at any of the agents he walked by. When he finally got to his door he swiped his key card and stepped inside. He didn't expect to find the Director sitting on his bed, his one eye staring right through the teen. If the guy could stare like that with one eye, Clint was glad he never met him when he still had both. Red beams would probably shoot out of those.

Fury patted the spot next to him on the bed. Clint ducked his head and did as he was asked. The powerful man reached up to squeeze the teenagers neck in a show of affection he'd seen Phil do often.

Clint still didn't look up. "Does Phil hate me?"

Fury shook his head even though the boy didn't look up. "No Clint, he doesn't hate you, disappointed maybe, but not hate." He lifted the teens face to his. "You scared him Clint, he thought he was going to lose you, and he feels guilty."

Clint's head snapped up at that. "Guilt? Why does he feel guilty? I'm the one that messed up Nick." Fury arched his eyebrow at that, the kid had never called him by his first name before.

The teen must have realised too because he ducked his head back down again, refusing to meet his eye.

"Phil might be annoyed that you left Clint, hell I'm annoyed, but he also he's himself as your guardian….or father. He thinks he should have been able to protect you, blames himself for going on the mission. Even blames me." He finished.

Clint shook his head. "But you're the director, you can send him away on missions. That's what you do, and that's what he's always done. Maybe I'm just messing things up for him."

"No you're not." Came Phil's voice from the doorway. He strode into the room and kneeled down in front of Clint. Fury nodded to Phil and left them to talk.

"Clint I need you to listen to me, and I mean really listen, okay?" He waited till he had his attention before continuing. "You are the best thing that's happened to me in forever, I was just scared. And disappointed, yes, but only because you snuck off, and you know why your under SHIELDs protection, that's why your kept on base unless I'm with you." He pulled the boy into a hug and squeezed him tight.

"You will be grounded though, no target practice with your new bow until I say so. In your bed by ten and only oatmeal for breakfast because I know how much you hate it." Even as Phil rhymed everything off Clint was smiling.

"Thanks Phil." The agent frowned. "For being you, for finding me and taking me in. You're the best thing that has happened to me too, you know. And I will gladly take any punishment you can dish out, because it means I finally have a dad."

Phil's heart soared and he stood pulling Clint up with him and hugged the teen. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have him in his life.

And he wouldn't change it for the world.

The agent reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out some papers. He handed them over to Clint. "Here…"

Clint frowned as he opened the papers and started reading. Then he smiled, it was the adoption papers, making it legal and binding that Phil Coulson was his dad.

He grabbed the pen Phil offered and signed just under Phil's name.

"Does this mean my last name changes to Coulson? Clint Coulson?" He asked, smiling at the agent.

Phil put an arm round his shoulders and steered him towards the door.

"That's up to you. Whatever you decide, I'll still be your dad." He grinned, he couldn't stop saying it.

Clint nodded and glanced up at the taller man. "Where are we going?"

"To get something to eat, you must be fed up with the food at medical."

The teen agreed, it tasted like cardboard. Actually cardboard was probably better.

"You think there will be decent food in the cafeteria….dad?"

Phil smiled and pulled him close. "One can only hope Clint, one can only hope."

* * *

Fury watched from his office camera's as the two made their way to the cafeteria, the director could help but smirk at them. Just wait till the world meets Clint Barton, that's all he could say.

The teen would be able to train as an agent in a few years but he would be getting the experience first hand from one of his top agents. The world of criminal's had better watch out, because the young Hawk would soon be leaving this nest and finding his own way, with a little help from SHIELD.

He would be keeping his eye on Barton, the kid was going to keep them all on their toes.

Of that he was certain.


End file.
